Official Draft Thread

[NAOS]

Who is this MJ of which he speaks?
I just don't see someone at #9 that is going to be so much better than the best available big. And I doubt KOC was dropping a hint that a deal is in place to move up. To get a deal done with Philly or Minn would be more than we could ever hope.

KOC is just setting us up so he can draft the next white hoax.

This "MJ" thing is just a canned phrase. All he means is "I'm not going to let you get even close to our current thinking on the pick". As fans we should like that he is being so guarded. This phrase references, obviously, Portland's drafting of a big man instead of an athletic wing. The Jazz are in a similar spot: we are looking for a big man but shouldn't be blind to the likes of Henry and George.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Does anyone have a read on how the Henry-Aminu-Babbit-Hayward workout went?

 

[honz]

The best choice for Utah at #9 is Hassan Whiteside... honestly, he's the only good choice left if you're looking for a big man. he has the size, length, and plays hard on defense.. smart player with a lot of potential.

Correction: He tries to block every shot.

*According to David Locke.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

And the perfect candidate for Jermaine O'Neal syndrome, which is horrible for the team that drafts him.

Whiteside is a little more developed than JO was when he came into the league (which isn't saying too much). Otherwise, there is some comparison between JO and Whiteside. So the JO syndrome is what then? Decent player, but not worth $20mm/year? Injury prone?

 

[Darkwing Duck]

Whiteside is a little more developed than JO was when he came into the league (which isn't saying too much). Otherwise, there is some comparison between JO and Whiteside. So the JO syndrome is what then? Decent player, but not worth $20mm/year? Injury prone?

JO syndrome is completely failing while on your rookie contract yet succeeding once elsewhere.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

JO syndrome is completely failing while on your rookie contract yet succeeding once elsewhere.

JO was like 18 years old and completely undeveloped when he came into the league. He sat on the bench in Portland behind players like Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace, Cliff Robinson and Brian Grant. Portland didn't take time to develop him and didn't need to. Lots of players start performing once they leave the team that drafted them. Tracy McGrady is one of the best examples. Players out of high school take a few years to develop, and that's when their rookie deal is up.

 

[Darkwing Duck]

And Whiteside has been documented to be naive and unprepared for the rigors of the NBA, just like O'Neal was. I have serious doubts Whiteside does anything of significance in his first four years in the league, or at least first three years.

 

[Stifle Tower]

JO was like 18 years old and completely undeveloped when he came into the league. He sat on the bench in Portland behind players like Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace, Cliff Robinson and Brian Grant. Portland didn't take time to develop him and didn't need to. Lots of players start performing once they leave the team that drafted them. Tracy McGrady is one of the best examples. Players out of high school take a few years to develop, and that's when their rookie deal is up.

Very good point.
Whiteside and Orton would probably NEVER contribute during their rookie contract. Aldrich might. He's probably ready for back-up minutes right now. But his ceiling is so low it's already touching his head. Unfortunately, Fes might be the best hope we've got. Maybe that taste of starting will motivate him to really work out this summer.

I'm almost convinced that Henry is the best choice at #9. Or try to trade back a few spots and take Boy George or Luke Skywalker. Get another wing to put with CJ and Matthews. Then AK can back up Millsap until the deadline, when hopefully the Jazz can get a good starter or high draft pick out of his expiring contract.

 

[1-Jazzfan]

It's looking like the Warriors are looking to take Xavier Henry now.

According to the article the Warriors GM says they are going for Best Player Available too, even though they don't need any shooting guards.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors...t=AkVcZFAu3m1xhFVvEa0GS2sQmNIF?urn=nba,246469

 

[billyshelby]

It's looking like the Warriors are looking to take Xavier Henry now.

According to the article the Warriors GM says they are going for Best Player Available too, even though they don't need any shooting guards.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors...t=AkVcZFAu3m1xhFVvEa0GS2sQmNIF?urn=nba,246469

Any GM who says they aren't considering any player that might be available to them when they draft should be killed, and then shot and stabbed.

 

[1-Jazzfan]

Any GM who says they aren't considering any player that might be available to them when they draft should be killed, and then shot and stabbed.

My name is Inigo Montoya. You didn't consider my father! Prepare to die!

 

[BENTLEY]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4cMkKiAus

This is the Kings workout: Orton, Aldrich, Whiteside, Udoh, the Brit.

Wow - Aldrich's shot is crazy. It goes in though.

I don't know -- Whiteside upside is so tempting even if he is a year or two away. I love how long his arms are.

Those are the two that I'm getting sweetest on.

 

[The Thriller]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4cMkKiAus

This is the Kings workout: Orton, Aldrich, Whiteside, Udoh, the Brit.

Wow - Aldrich's shot is crazy. It goes in though.

I don't know -- Whiteside upside is so tempting even if he is a year or two away. I love how long his arms are.

Those are the two that I'm getting sweetest on.

Wasn't Ibaka considered a long term project as well? Yet, he seemed to contribute pretty well for the Thunder. His wingspan, jumping ability, and shotblocking ability is going to annoy us for years to come. The OKC Thunder are going to be really good in these next few years.

 

[GVC]

I'm warming on Ed Davis. Sure, he's a bit undersized for a C, but he's got loads of athleticism, and certainly projects as a good defender and rebounder.

For those interested in Aminu (ick), how is he any better than Ed Davis?

 

[Cece]

He's older.

Edit: Never mind. I thought you were talking about Udoh.

 

[NUMBERICA]

The question is not how much better Aminu is than Davis (because he's not), it's how much better he could be (much higher ceiling).

That said, neither of them look particularly good right now.

 

[GVC]

That said, neither of them look particularly good right now.

Honest question (I'm a bit out of the loop), but what about Davis doesn't look particularly good right now?

I get that he doesn't have perfect size for the 5 (he's a 4), but his leaping ability and BBall IQ (his dad was an NBA player and he's close friends with Ben Wallace) seem to make up for it. He looks like a bigger, more athletic Paul Millsap to me.

With Aminu, it's obvious. He can't shoot well enough to play the 3 and he isn't nearly strong enough to play the 4. The guy is ALL athleticism and seemingly not much else.

 

[//r00t 4 Jazz]

Not that this a reason alone to draft Aminu but he is supposed to be a good defender and he is long enough to bother Durant, also I could imagine AK at the 4 and Aminu at the 3 being a very good combo defensively.
Also I always thought Aminu was a 3 that could play the 4 if a team went small whereas Davis is a 4 that is long/athletic enough to play the 5.

Also I'll be honest I know nothing of these 2 players other then measurements, highlights and their projected draft spots. So after seeing Aminu's measurements it made me think if none of the bigs appeal to the Jazz and Aminu falls I would be happy with that. Also looking at the draft history the #9's that most projected to be picked earlier and fell to the 9 have a good track record (not that really accounts for much).

 

[NUMBERICA]

Ed Davis looked invisible whenever I got a chance to watch. At least relative to the hype. Unlike Favors who plays on a team with a horrendous head coach playing with horrendous guards while playing next to a black hole big (Lawal), UNC is and always has been a well-coached team that finds a way to get looks for its bigs. Despite all of the UNC framework for success and a tanker of hype, UNC was a pretty massive failure this year with Davis only showing flashes.

Besides that, Aminu looks to me to have a much stronger frame than Davis and could likely be heavier, stronger, and quicker than Davis to me. Again, we're talking about ceiling here, and I feel like Aminu developing better shooting is definitely within the realm of possibility as well.

Davis only intrigues me as a defensive 4, and if that's all we're getting out of this much-heralded pick, the Jazz might as well draft Larry Sanders and trade down.

 

[Qman]

On Aminu's shooting look at this-

Sounds like his continuing to improve quickly.

https://www.draftexpress.com/articl...g-Part-2-Al-Farouq-Aminu-in-Los-Angeles-3466/

An inconsistent shooter in college (18/66 beyond the arc on the season and 0.610 points per jump shot according to Synergy Sports Technology), Aminu always showed flashes of ability with his shot, but definitely lacked some polish, which showed in the results. Here, Aminu has tweaked a few things with his shot, focusing on getting more consistent mechanics, the biggest emphasis being the balance he gets his base for his shooting motion, something he did a great job displaying here. Keeping his elbow in and maintaining full extension have also been points of emphasis, both of which he also did well here. Time was spent working on both mid-range jumpers from the 15-20 foot range and from behind the arc, with pull-up and spot-up jumpers both being used from the mid-range.

For the shots we tracked, Aminu shot a solid 16-for-31 from NBA three-point range, and 69-for-99 on spot-up jumpers from 15-20 feet, showing impressive mechanics and touch throughout, having a high and consistent release with a good base and excellent elevation. It was easy to notice how well Aminu responds to coaching, with his eyes always dead set on Hopla and Leitao when they spoke, absorbing everything while giving 100% for the entire three hours.